re: 2013 Alabama Football Recruiting Thread - DH Decommited from UGA

When choosing TODAY between RB and WR at the next level......especially if you have elite natural ability at both positions......it should be a no brainer.

In 2012 Nick Saban landed the nation’s top class but in every class there are “sleeper” prospects- those players I like to consider undervalued or underappreciated. Oftentimes they are overlooked or simply lost in the shuffle among recruiting fans and analysts, especially when they're part of a top ranked class like Alabama signed in February.


Taylor made the move to offensive line this spring.

With that in mind, here are three Alabama signees that I think will exceed their ranking-

Kurt Freitag, TE, Buford (Ga.)- Freitag had an offer list just about as impressive as any player who signed with Alabama with double digit offers from the likes of Auburn, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Miami, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

At 6-foot-4, 245-pounds, the Buford High School standout has all the physical attributes that the Alabama offense values in that he's a reliable pass catcher and has mean disposition as a blocker in the run game. Freitag starred on both sides of the ball for Buford and some who watched them play last year felt he was the Georgia powerhouses' best player. If he gets after it in the weight room like I expect he will, good things will come for the consensus three-star.

Brandon Hill, OT, Collierville (Tenn.) St. Georges' Independent School- At 6-foot-6, 353-pounds and athletic, it’s hard to imagine the Tennesee native being an undervalued prospect because that certainly wasn't the case for college coaches. The future offensive tackle initially flew under the radar as a result of missed time due to a transfer from Manassas High School in Memphis to St. George's. Hill's stock rose in the summer with camp performances at Ole Miss and Alabama and received 3-stars across the board with the label of playing “small school” ball hurting him. Offensive line is one of the toughest positions to project, but Hill has the physical attributes of a 1st round NFL pick.

Alphonse Taylor, OL/DT, Mobile (Ala.) Davidson- "Raw" is a good way to describe Taylor and at 6-foot-5, and over 340-pounds, that’s not surprising. I always thought the one thing that made “Shank” a low risk signee, besides his massive size, was his ability to play on either side of the ball.

With Alabama's offensive line looking for depth this spring, he has already moved to the guard position where he is likely to stay. It might take Taylor some time to get his bearings seeing that he's played on defense for most of his career, but being an early enrollee didn’t hurt and he’s not just a big stiff. He is agile and will learn a lot in the next year. Taylor should make a quicker transition playing guard as opposed to offensive tackle, as he'll be able to rely on his size and strength without having to refine his pass protection technique to the same degree if he were protecting the edge.

He doesn't belong on this list, as he was given a mid to high four-star grade of 95 from 247Sports, but JUCO CB early enrollee Deion Belue is another newcomer that I feel was undervalued my most throughout the recruiting process. Belue has already impressed in his brief time on campus and will be a major factor in the competition for the corner spot opposite Dee Milliner.

While Nick Saban has signed a large amount of consensus blue chip prospects during his time in Tuscaloosa, he's also had several key contributors and top draft picks who flew under the radar for various reasons. Freitag, Hill, and Taylor are three more who I expect to be major contributors during their careers at the University of Alabama.

Pretty sure he has a USC offer.

ETA: Nevermind, he does not.

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Alabama recruiting writer Greg Ostendorf and beat writer Alex Scarborough bring you another edition of The TideNation mailbag, answering your questions about recruiting, football and basketball.

In this week’s mailbag:
A look at UA football's top targets
Who the coaching staff has visited recently
When Devonta Pollard plans to make his decision and who he might choose
Where Landon Collins fits into a suddenly packed secondary
And more...
Question: Who is the top target you see Alabama most likely getting?

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Tom Hauck for ESPN.com
DE Robert Nkemdiche still has the Crimson Tide as one of his top choices.
Greg Ostendorf: The obvious choice here is the nation’s top recruit Robert Nkemdiche. He has Alabama among his top choices, and many felt the Tide led at one time. If not Nkemdiche, Alabama already has a commitment from the No. 2 prospect in the ESPN 150, linebacker Reuben Foster. There’s a lot of heat coming from the Georgia coaching staff, and with his recent move to Auburn High School, there’s no doubt the Tigers get involved. However, I think Foster stays firm to his commitment to UA. Another one to watch is Kendell Beckwith, the No. 16 player in the ESPN 150. UA coaches like him at Jack linebacker, and if they can pull him out of Louisiana like they did with Landon Collins a year ago, it would be a huge pickup.

Q: When is Devonta Pollard announcing and is he coming to Alabama?

G.O.: To answer the first part of your question, I’m not 100 percent sure when he plans to announce his decision. I talked to a source close to Pollard who believes it will either be at the end of this week or early next week. Pollard has essentially shut down communication with coaches and the media while he makes his decision. As for Alabama’s chances, I think the Tide have a good shot to land Pollard. The biggest advantage for UA, more so than the proximity from home, may be the relationship developed with coach Anthony Grant.

Q: What recruits has the Alabama coaching staff been to see recently?

G.O.: The coaching staff has been busy in recent weeks, and expect that to continue with the majority of high school teams set to begin spring practice. UA defensive coordinator Kirby Smart has been all over Georgia, checking in on top prospects Brendan Langley, Alvin Kamara and Tray Matthews, and he’s expected to visit Auburn commitment Trey Johnson sometime this week. Lance Thompson recently visited top safety prospects Vonn Bell (2013) and Todd Kelly Jr. (2014), and Mike Groh went to Muscle Shoals, Ala., last week to see Auburn commit Dee Liner. This week, Jeremy Pruitt has been down in Mobile visiting the home of Alabama’s newest commitment Deon Johnson, and McGill-Toolen High School, where top in-state athlete Jason Smith plays.

Q: Why did Charles Hankerson leave the program and what’s the deal with so many transfers in college basketball lately?

Alex Scarborough: Last week we got the chance to sit down with coach Anthony Grant and we discussed both things specifically. As far as Hankerson leaving, Grant said it had nothing to do with personalities clashing or the university. Instead, it was simply a case of Hankerson looking at the roster, realizing his playing time might never be what he wanted, and going somewhere that it would, Grant explained. As far as transfers are concerned, Grant said the large number of transfers in the sport is “alarming,” and hopes the new NCAA rules that allow for more contact between coaches and prospects throughout the year will help alleviate instances where the two parties do not see eye to eye when they’re finally both on campus and enrolled.

Q: Will Alabama’s defensive line drop off significantly this year?

A.S.: The quick answer is, “No.” The more detailed response goes more along the lines of, “Yes and no.” UA’s line will not be as good as last year. Just looking at who has left and what they accomplished, the chances of repeating that success is nearly impossible. It’s hard to expect any group to stack up to one that forced people to ask seriously if it was the best defense ever. Now, will this year’s line be good? Absolutely. Jesse Williams has the chance to be something special at nose guard and freshman Ryan Anderson has the look of a future All-American pass rusher. With Quinton Dial, Brandon Ivory, LaMichael Fanning and others in the rotation, this year’s defensive line has the chance to make its own mark in 2012.

Q: A lot has been made of the secondary needing a lot of help. Where does Landon Collins fit there?

A.S.: This is a question I’ve been thinking about a lot recently. After watching the defensive backs during the spring, they looked nearly complete, albeit untested. The second safety spot will fall to one of two very capable, very talented players in either Vinnie Sunseri or Ha’Sean Clinton Dix. With the two-deep nearly set at what would have been an open position had Collins been here in the spring, I think Collins serves multiple roles in the secondary, starting with backup to Robert Lester in a similar situation to what Sunseri did with Mark Barron this past year.

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Jack LB strikes again!

I want to see how the JACK is used as a secondary position to the SAM. I thought about it being like the Raven's usage of the SAM, or even Rex Ryan's use of WILL with the Jets. Using it as a primary run stopper and allow him to blow things up so others can make plays.

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I want to see how the JACK is used as a secondary position to the SAM. I thought about it being like the Raven's usage of the SAM, or even Rex Ryan's use of WILL with the Jets. Using it as a primary run stopper and allow him to blow things up so others can make plays.

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Im expecting that Saban will use Hubbard much like he used Jason Taylor in Miami.

Can anyone say that they really have a good feel for which LBs will be in which position? I can confidently say XD is at Jack, but beyond that I dont really have any clues as to who will be on the field.

I feel like CJ is the best all around ILB in the nation, I'd have him on the field the most.

It's about time they at least tried to recruit the kid. Should have months ago. Too late now unless he starts to not like the depth chart but Tenpenny would bolt 1st.

I've decided that for me to get onboard with Bateman he needs to change his shitty name. I'm gonna need him to convert to Islam and become Faried Al-Shabbazz or something.